


Wardens of Ferelden

by Japkot



Series: Dragon Age: Altered [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Alistair is Stuck in the Middle, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Cousland Being an Asshole, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Darkspawn, Gen, Grey Warden Secrets, Mages and Templars, Mahariel is Trying, Mild Gore, Multi-Warden
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2019-03-15 01:23:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13602633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Japkot/pseuds/Japkot
Summary: The tale of two Wardens forcefully ripped away from their homes. They try to combat the blight and the forces that would ignore it while trying to overcome their scars as well as their differences. It all sounded impossible at first, but fate would show them otherwise... [Multi-Warden]





	1. Alaric Cousland

His day had been going great.

Considering he had to deal with Nan's unrelenting assault of words and had to dispose of some rats in the larder that had taken it upon themselves to nibble at his boots and practically tear through them before returning for more Maker-damned scolding. Not to mention greeting guests in those said boots before having to lie about the culprit being his loyal dog. (he didn't get  _all_  the credit,)

He still got command of a whole Teyrnir, to rule it as he wished without anyone's interference, he only counted that as a positive because of the pride he felt to learn how his father would entrust him with such a task.

That was what Alaric Cousland thought, as he adorned a new pair of boots to replace the aforementioned ones. Adjusting his adorned black doublet in front of the mirror once he was off the bed, checking to see if anything else was off, seeing as his mother would flay him alive if he continued to relay that kind of image, certainly not appropriate of a Cousland of Highever.

He was met with the image of a handsome young man in his early twenties, hair as black as night cascading to his shoulders while having the occasional and annoying tendency to get in his face more than often and eyes of moss green, where one would often see the twinkling light of amusement. His stance was proud, despite not being taller or muscular than most he stood so. One could even say he looked like his father in his younger days, as they had done to Fergus, and maybe they would be right...

But he had no time to dwell on such matters, his father had given him a task to inform Fergus about Arl Rendon's troops falling behind schedule, he had shirked it for long enough. Then, of course, there was the fact that he would have to show the famed Cousland hospitality to their current guests, keeping up appearances were important.

Especially since those damned rumors about him inheriting Highever started.

_Fucking Fergus._

He sighed, allowing himself a moment of respite before leaving his room, passing through the hall that separated the rooms before poking his head out to Fergus' room, as much as he despised his brothers' little scheme he did not want to bring it up again. Lest he acts the fool as he had before and spoils the good day he had, along with all of his good wishes for a safe return.

He was met with the sight of his brother and sister-in-law, along with his little nephew, sharing some last farewells. All of whom turned to look at him when his head poked out over the threshold.

"Should I wait outside?" He said, not wanting to intrude upon such a moment.

Fergus just beckoned him in, "Come in, I'd like to say farewell," Alaric nodded and stepped in, almost immediately knocked over when Oren flung himself at him, he heard their laughs, but couldn't bring himself to be offended by them, Oren was too cute for his own good sometimes...

So he just ruffled his hair and rose back to his feet. Settling him down on his shoulders much to his delight.

"There you go you, little troublemaker! That shall teach you a lesson!" He said between laughter.

"Uncle! Lemme down!" Oren laughed, and he did so, but not without giving him another ruffle, much to Oren's squeaking dismay as he ran back to his mother.

He sighed as he stepped up next to Fergus, "You shall be missed brother,"

Fergus laughed, "You're just sad you lost your training dummy," Alaric couldn't hold back the grin on his face as he answered.

"What can I say, brother? Your form needs work," Fergus winced, no doubt remembering every blow of Alaric's greatsword he'd had to block with his shield. Though his grin was soon replaced with worry, which earned him a comforting pat on the back.

"If it's any consolation, I'm sure I'll freeze in the southern rain, and be completely jealous of you up here, warm and safe,"  _That_ brought the grin back, jokes between brothers almost always did.

"I am positively thrilled you'll be so miserable, husband," The brothers turned to her with an identical set of grins that made them look eerily similar, which made her roll her eyes.

"Heard there was a Grey Warden at the castle." Fergus turned to him, changing to the topic so as to not worry his wife no longer.

He nodded, "Came for Ser Gilmore,"

"Good on him!" Really was, Gilmore had always been a loyal friend. "Though if I was a Grey Warden, I'd have my eye on you..."

"And have father chase your order out of Ferelden?"

Fergus laughed, "Now that would be a sight to see..." The two brothers laughed for a moment before Alaric spoke again.

"Father said you are to go ahead, Arl Howe's forces are delayed," He was sad to see the pleasant scene go, but there was always duty.

Fergus sighed, "You'd think his men were all walking backward," He scoffed then cranked his shoulders, giving Oren's disheveled hair a ruffle of his own, "Well, I'd better get underway, so many Darkspawn to behead, so little time..."

He turned around to leave, only to be stopped by newcomers, "I would hope, dear boy. That you plan to wait for us before you leave," Their father said entering the room to complete the set of Cousland men, followed by his wife, both taking turns embracing Fergus upon entering.

"Be well, my son." Their mother said, her voice full of worry, "I will pray for your safety every day you are gone,"

He smirked and prodded Fergus, even if the effect would be lost under all of his armor, "A good shield hand would be more useful," Although the teasing would stay, evidenced by his brothers amused pout he sent over his shoulder as Oriana read a prayer.

The distraction would cause his blunder a moment later, "And bring us some ale and wenches while you're at it!" A sharp elbow rung off his armor, "For the men of course!" He tried to play it off, but his wife would not let it go it seemed.

"Fergus!" Her indignant voice made him pale, "You would speak that way in front of your own mother!"

Alaric grinned and bowed out of the room with permission just as Oren asked what a 'Wench' was, thankful he did before he would have to listen to them while they would try to blunder for an appropriate answer.

Now...

What to do?

A short trip to the library to talk to the guests before sleep.

_Sounds good..._

* * *

 

He awoke to the sounds of barking...

It was not a common occurrence, one which had immediately caused him to jolt awake as if it was a nightmare he was having. It took a moment to get his bearings, and once he was adjusted to the dark and sound, he turned to the source of it.

It was Reaver, of course, his loyal Mabari. Barking angrily out the door.

He quickly swung off of his bed, hastily throwing on a few clothes before going to the dog, kneeling beside him, patting him and stroking behind his ears so that he may calm down, but it was to no avail. He'd never seen Reaver like this before, the dog had always been temperamental unless needlessly provoked, was it something from outsid-

Turns out he was right, as a servant burst into the room, shouting for help before he got an arrow right in the throat for his troubles. Reaver immediately lunged at that direction, tearing into the throat of the man who would charge into the room. As this was going on Alaric spotted the Archer who killed the servant line up another shot, this time aiming for his dog.

He very well couldn't let that happen now, could he?

He lunged forward himself, jumping to his feet and grabbing the fallen sword of the one Reaver had dealt with, and running the archer down with it. He looked through the hall only to spot two more of them, descending on him with their bloody weapons raised high, their desire to end his life.

He dodged to the side when the bigger one swung his axe at him, knowing that Reaver had finished with the throat of his previous kill and would focus on the other one. Quickly dodging another strike, he kicked at the man's kneecap with a shout and forced him to the ground, stepping on his axes handle before he cut open his throat, blood falling down his body as the man finally dropped dead.

Once he was certain Reaver had dealt with the other one, he relaxed.

_What in the void was happening?_

The first thing that came to his mind were assassins, but that was immediately debunked when he started to clearly hear the sounds of fighting from outside.

Before he had any time to think about it further, the door to his parents' room burst open. He raised his borrowed sword to defend but lowered it once he realized it was his mother stepping out of the room, dressed in full armor.

"Mother?" His mind immediately opens to the outside world upon spotting her, and his emotions returned. Panic was the most urgent one, followed by anger, followed by fear.

"Darling!" She immediately wrapped her arms around him, an action he gladly returned, "I heard fighting outside and I feared the worst! Are you hurt?" She said, breaking the embrace to check if he had any wounds.

"I'm fine, you need not worry. Did they get to you?"

She shook her head, "No, thanks to you they didn't,"

"What is happening mother?" Desperation must have clung to his voice, for her hands tightened on his.

"A scream woke me up, there were men in the halls so I locked the doors,"

His eyes suddenly widened, "Oren and Oriana!" He tore himself from his mother and immediately rushed for their room kicking open the door only to find them butchered and fallen. He fell to his knees at the sight of it, he couldn't even hear the wails of his mother behind him...

"Who could do this?" He whispered, his eyes were focused on Oren, remembering how just this morning those eyes had been full of joy and curiosity. And how now they carried no more than fear.

He only heard 'Howe'

He only needed that...

* * *

Once they could gather enough strength to leave them behind, his mother waited as Alaric donned his armor and grabbed his greatsword. Their charge out of the halls of Highever had caused the fall of many of Howe's invaders.

Alaric simply didn't know what to do. It was as if seeing his nephew slaughtered had sucked all the life out of him, his strikes carried strength but they lacked the passion behind each of them.

He would've continued like that, had his mother not literally slap him out of it.

"Alaric!"

"Yes, mother?" He asked, his voice empty.

"My darling boy, please do not do this to me," Her voice sounded desperate as if she was almost begging. He had never seen her like that, reducing his mother to this would be another thing he had to make Howe pay for it seemed, "You need to focus,"

"I know what I must do mother," He said with the same monotone voice.

She sighed, "I know you do my darling, but it is not that, which I fear," As she fell silent, he noticed where they were. They were in front of the family vault, where the Cousland family sword and shield were. The symbol of the Teyrn of Highever, which Howe would be if he were to get his wretched hands on it. But now that it was here, he would be carrying both on his back until they found father.

They fought their way to the Main Hall, where Ser Gilmore had set up a resistance to Howe's men. The gates had been barred and the man fought tooth and nail not to give any ground, but they were few in number...

Alaric was simply unresponsive, it was his mother that asked where his father was, it was his mother that had led them to the servant's exit, begging for her son not to fall behind.

When they finally reached the servant's exit, through another mess of familiar corpses, they found him. The proud Teyrn of Highever leaning on a box, trying to keep his guts in his body while he bled.

"There... you both are..." He wheezed, almost inviting them to run and kneel beside them, "I was wondering where you were..."

Alaric's eyes widened at the sight of him, "Father! We need to leave." He was desperate, and it leaked into his voice. But he knew his father would make it alright, he was... Him! Long had he seen Howe groveling beneath his feet, it would not take a lot to do so again.

When he spoke, there was pain laced inside his voice, "I... won't survive the standing I think,"

"That's not true! You're... You!" He said, grabbing him by the hand and trying to lift him back to his feet, partially succeeding until another pained wheeze from him made him stop. Why wasn't he getting up! He needed to get up.

He didn't let go of his hand, "My boy... If only will could make it so," His heart broke again when he said those words. Tears prickled his eyes and distorted his vision until he could not see.

"Howe's men are at the gates! We must leave before they find us!" His mother's voice was urgent, but he listened to it, they could still leave!

But his father didn't listen, "Fergus..." Oren's face flashed before his eyes, "Someone must tell him,"

"You can..." His voice was desperate, searching for something positive.

But his father's words didn't restore his hope, "I... Wish I could, but the castle... it is surrounded."

Before any of them could respond, a new voice sounded behind them, "I'm afraid the Teyrn is right, the Arl's forces surround the castle, they have nor breached the gates or found this exit. Still, getting past them will be difficult."

His father let go, and reached forward to grasp Duncan's arm, "Duncan, you are under no obligation to me, but I beg of you! Get my son and wife to safety..." His words were pained, but his grip was firm.

"I will your lordship, but I'm afraid I must ask something in return."

"Anything!" His grip faltered, but he held on.

"What is transpiring here pales in comparison to the evil that is now loose upon this world. I came to your castle seeking a recruit, the darkspawn threat demands that I leave with one..."

"I... Understand,"

Duncan nodded, "I will take the Teyrna and your son to Ostagar to tell the King and Fergus what happened. After that, your son joins the Grey Wardens..."

He stood shocked for a moment.

"My son..." His father's eyes were desperate, and he saw in them what he saw in countless others during this endless nightmare.

"I... I shall,"

Duncan's hand fell upon his shoulders and he looked up at him, his eyes were understanding. He got up and followed him. He didn't dare look back, he didn't know if he could continue otherwise.

He didn't even realize that mother had not come until much later.

That was when the dam was finally broken...


	2. Kayla Mahariel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weeks Later... A chase happens in the far reaches of the Brecilian Forest.

_Humans..._

So close to their camp as well...

Should she be mad about this? Well, she would if she cared enough to overlook her exasperation in the middle of running to catch up with Tamlen, her dear friend currently sprinting ahead of her so that he may ambush their prey at the opening ahead. She feared that  _lethallin_  would get himself into trouble if he kept running ahead of her, he was prone to leave his thoughts to his passions and overlook common sense (and her most trusted advice) in favor of his hatred for humans.

She feared that more than anything really, Tamlen had been her closest friend since childhood. It would break her heart to lose another family, especially to humans as she did before. She steadily increased her pace, ducking between stray branches with ease as she had done so many times, and tugging her bow free as she saw Tamlen doing the same, no doubt the opening was just ahead.

Sounds she heard ahead indicated that their prey was outrunning her, probably because they were taking a path of fewer obstacles than her and Tamlen, although it was not by much, she was rapidly gaining on both the prey and Tamlen. Their head start was the likely culprit for it, as Tamlen had so  _stalwartly_ intimidated them by peppering the ground below them with arrows.

You see why she worried?

She entered the clearing and saw that he had trained his bow on the humans. Three of them looked to be harmless. One never knew when the people in question were  _shemlen_ however. They tried to stand up for themselves, of course, intimidate them as they would a flat-ear. Tamlen didn't even flinch though, quite the contrary; it was the humans that flinched when she appeared, her bow in her hand and ready to be drawn in the first sign of hostility.

She tried to hide her disgust when they  _stared._ It was normal of course, the 'armor' she wore -even if it could be called that- left little to the imagination. The Smith had seen a design that valued appearance and swiftness, and not at all stopping her legs from being cut with all the branches.

Not even considering those  _damned bugs._

She  _supposed_ it may not all rest within the completely inadequate armor, often she had received compliments regarding her beauty. Almost as often as she had disregarded them. Her body whilst short, was somewhat muscular from all the years spent hunting within the forests, lacked the curves... and... the features, most would find 'adequate' on a mate. Some would look to her face, eyes wide like a doe's and shining with the color of the sky, lips with a tendency to curl downward whenever someone thought about teasing her, an oval-like face with a vallaslin honoring Mythal from beneath her eyes to his ears and fiery red hair that hid almost all of the aforementioned with how long it was.

Her thoughts returned to the present when one of the human's cried, "We aren't bandits!" Backing away as Tamlen slowly advanced, bowstring still drawn. She would have to talk to him about that, he was going to ruin the bow and make a mockery of himself if he continued like that.

"You shemlen are  _pathetic,_ " Tamlen's words were dipped in mockery, good that she let him do the talking her words would be far more harsher, and she didn't want to waste her breath. "It's hard to believe  _you_  ever drove us out of our homeland,"

"W-we have done nothing to you Dalish! We didn't even this forest belonged to you!" His voice was fueled by fear, she couldn't help but agree with Tamlen, they were pretty pathetic weren't they?

More mockery, it was amusing to watch it just for their squirming honestly...

" _Lethallan_?"

"Hmm?" She was caught wondering it seemed.

"How should we deal with them?"

She shrugged, "Get rid of them, they would know where we're camped otherwise," It wasn't far from where they currently were, humans were prone to burn forests just to drive the Dalish out.

Tamlen savagely grinned, and was just about to release his hold on the bow before one of the humans started wailing, "W-wait, please! We don't want to be any trouble, we just found a cave!"

One of his friends nodded, "Yeah! A cave with ruins I haven't even seen before!" He briefly hesitated, although that moment passed when Tamlen made to raise his bow again, "We thought there might be treasure..."

Tamlen scoffed, Kayla almost did too, "More like vultures then?" She mocked, although she would admit she was curious about this cave.

"This cave... What proof do you have of it?!" Tamlen demanded,

"H-here!" The first one said, fishing something out of one of his pockets and dropped it on her outstretched hand with his shaky ones, "I-it was just outside of the entrance!"

She thoroughly examined the carving, holding it up for Tamlen to see, "Does that... remind you of Elvish?" She scowled, she couldn't even read elvish! How was  _he_ able to?! "I guess that means no than..." She grumbled something resembling a curse under her breath and did her best to refrain from punching him when he smirked infuriatingly.

"There was more..." The human sounded hopeful, she had to remind himself what they were when he heard him again, "We... didn't get very far in."

"Why not?" She guessed why they hadn't of course, destroying their pride would help her steel herself though, she despised cowards.

"There was a  _demon_! It had black eyes! Thank the Maker we were able to outrun it," So  _that's_ why they were so out of breath when she and Tamlen stumbled on them.

She heard Tamlen scoff, "A  _demon_? Where might this cave be?"

"Just off the west! There is a cave in the rock face and a huge hole just in it!"

They had outlived their usefulness then.

She stepped beside Tamlen and nodded at him. They raised their bows almost simultaneously and before a moment passed, two of them were lying dead. The third one came not long after, he had not gotten far...

"I would like to see this cave they were talking about," Tamlen said.

"The same," She nodded, intrigued. Things like this were destined to always ignite her sense of adventure, of course, it drove the Keeper mad and Ashalle pale with worry, but she couldn't help herself.

"Lead the way,"

* * *

The road to the cave's entrance was bumpy, but at least the road to it was not wrought with dangers. Just some wolves that were feasting on a poor Halla that had wandered from the camp, she would have to remember to inform Maren of it. No doubt the Halla-keeper would be very sad to lose  _another_  one of the noble creatures, but what's done was done and she would have to live with it.

At least they could acquire more from the forest, they'd seen many of them on their way, they even seemed to bow as they passed, though it was from a fair distance so she could be imagining it.

_Now, where was that cave..._

_There!_

"Tamlen!" She shouted, drawing his attention and beckoning him over.

It was... Strange, to say the least. Lined pillars in no apparent order lined the entrance to the cave, only accessible by what she  _thought_  was the remains of a bridge, she couldn't tell with all the moss.

"I knew I should've looked around better," She heard Tamlen say, "Did you..?" He nodded when she shook her head, "Let's head in shall we, it certainly couldn't be worse than last time,"

She actually stopped dead in her tracks when she was reminded of  _that_ , "I'm suddenly much more reserved about coming here with you,"

"What?" Tamlen did so too, although his abrupt stop would see him tumble into the cave he was so eager to investigate if not for Kayla catching her, "Why?" He asked once he was done yelping about the possible fall.

"You don't remember the last time we went into a cave?"

He groaned, "Come on! We were half the hunters we are now!" He shrugged, "Besides, how bad could it be?"

" _Don't say that!_ " She hissed. Would've smacked him right on his stupid face if she wasn't holding said idiot's hand in the first place.

He just rolled his eyes and started to drag her in, despite her feet digging into the ground in monetary resistance before she followed him, resigning to her fate.

* * *

"AAH! KILL IT!"

"Kayla! Calm down!"

"SHOOT IT!"

"I did already!"

"T-they were crawling up my leg!"

"Come on Kayla! This is the third time you've done this. There are no spiders on your legs,"

"I'm going to give whoever made this armor a piece of my mind!" She shuddered as she got off of her tangent.

His teasing look made her scowl immediately, "Want me to carry you?"

"In your dreams," She snapped.

He chuckled, and her scowl deepened, "That would make them pleasant than yours," He was right of course, with all of this business there was bound to be a week of nightmares waiting for her. Why did it have to be  _giant spiders?!_

"I regret agreeing to this, and I will make sure you do too,"

"Wouldn't expect any less from you  _Lethallan,_ " He said, "Now come, I feel there's something up ahead,"

_Oh great._

A pair of disarmed traps and an unexpected bout with the undead later, they came before a large iron door. Sounds suspiciously resembling a bear's coming from behind it, although it sounded pained. Tamlen looked at her, and she nodded. It would be better to give the beast mercy rather than trying to run from it and lengthening its pain.

The door was pushed open with some difficulty, but it didn't stay that way for long. As soon as a small opening was opened, the bear snapped at them, tossing the door open with ease and trying to bite at Tamlen, the elf jumped back to avoid the grizzly fate.

" _Creators, what is that thing?_ "

The right kind of reaction, considering the... thing they were faced with. It looked like a bear at first, but one could clearly see the blight magic spread throughout his body, spikes jutted out of every possible place there could be, and those wounds bled horribly. And as it proved just a moment later, it was horribly fast, it was only because of her reflexes that she was able to jump out of it reacts in time, the prize of losing focus.

She tugged her bow out and jumped to the side as the bea- the beast charged at her. The beast slammed into the wall, disoriented. Quickly drawing an arrow, she saw Tamlen had already started peppering the beast. Arrows were jutting out of the beast's skin and were soon joined by others. It didn't take long for the experienced hunters to pincer the poor beast in and confuse it enough so that it could do nothing as tens of arrows buried into his skin and bled him dead.

She wanted to celebrate the flawless kill, acquired without a wound. But it was painfully obvious that she couldn't. Something had caught Tamlen's eye it seemed, he had disappeared into the room the bear was in.

"Tamlen?" She said, poking her head into the room to find Tamlen examining a... Mirror?

A mirror without a reflection...

"Strange isn't it?" He said, brushing his hand past the surface of the mirror, she saw ripples when she got closer to it, like ones that would be seen when they run their hands through the water.

She didn't like this.

_At all._

"Tamlen, stop touching it!"

"But why? I think I can see something through!"

"What?"

"There is an underground city!"  _Stop you big idiot!_  She tried to pull his arm away, but she couldn't. Not because he was resisting either, Tamlen's eyes were unfocused, unseeing as she struggled feebly to pull his arm free. "There's a... Great darkness," He suddenly gasped, and she felt him trying to free his arm, "It saw me! HELP!"

It was the last thing she remembered before the blast turned her world black...

* * *

There really was no sense in denying the truth was there?

The Keeper didn't hold anything back, she had scolded Kayla for what felt like an eternity. Killing the humans and driving the clan out of the forest, following Tamlen into the cave, letting him do as he willed and losing him. She should've known, she should've known something was off the instant that idiot opened his mouth and got them where they are now.

She was going to give him a piece of her mind after she found him.

...Wherever he was...

That was not the worst thing too. As soon as she awoke, she was accosted by Ashalle. The worry and fear in her voice when she had told Kayla about how she'd been sick for 3 days had been enough to make herself feel ashamed. That was the case with the plan too, everywhere she had looked she had seen their relief and felt sick in her stomach at the thought of making them worry.

She was supposed to be the strongest.

And now they'd seen her at her worst.

She... Couldn't handle that.

She could barely let Merril and Fenarel come with her, knowing that. Merril with her awkward small talk and Fenarel with his stuck-up remarks. Why couldn't Tamlen be with her now? He was always the right temperament, and she would even take his teasing at times if it meant she would be free of this madness, she prayed that was the case.

But she still didn't show it to them.

She was bad at being stoic, she knew that, but keeping back while they progressed would not work, so she kept ahead of them. Dispatching every one of those  _creatures,_ he saw with her bow before her mandatory companions could overtake her and attack. They fell easily, their armor was shoddy and exposed more weak spots than it hid.

But there was something  _else_. She could swear on her life that every time she thought of something, it was as if a song was playing in the background, and whenever she tried to focus on it, it was as silent as ever. Although it was definitely there, she could feel it getting louder every time she encountered these  _darkspawn_  things, and it became more audible as they got closer and closer where the ruins were.

Was it because she was sick?

She wasn't paying attention it seems because she jumped when a loud sound echoed from where she remembered the ruins to be.

"Tamlen!" She whispered and started sprinting toward the ruins, ignoring the panicked voice of Fenarel and Merril as she jumped over corpses she had not seen on this path.

She had gotten excited over nothing it seemed like.

It was not Tamlen.

It was a Human.

Swallowing her soul-crushing disappointment, she observed the human. More self-reliant than the ones she and Tamlen had seen before it looked like. Darkspawn corpses littered the ground around him, and the stragglers showed her just how easily these grunts fell to him. Although she would doubt the talent of these darkspawn, they seemed... inexperienced.

She took a second to examine him; observing how the human carried himself well, even if his appearance was very disheveled. His hair that somehow didn't hamper his fighting, was matted, a veil with bloodstains covering his face. The armor he wore was as dented as some of the pillars around the ruin, and the greatsword he wielded was cutting through darkspawn, even if something about his fighting felt, off...

As she debated whether she should just shoot him, a voice behind her called, "Kayla!" She turned around to see Merril and Fenarel approaching her, their breathless states indicating that they had been running.

The man had noticed as well, leaning on a wall after he dispatched the last of the darkspawn, "So the sleeper awakens," He said, tilting his head as he lowered the veil covering his mouth. Settling down on a broken pillar, he began using a rag to clean his greatsword like he had not just seen a trio of Dalish Elves, fully armed to the teeth,  _including_  a mage, suddenly appearing behind him.

Fenarel leaned over her shoulder and whispered, "He was one of the shemlen that brought you back to the clan,"

"The Grey Warden?" She asked.

He didn't feel like one.

"No, this one is the recruit,"

As if on cue, the door guarding the mirror opened to reveal another human. This one seemed foreign, even when comparing the races. His skin color was darker, as was his hair, (even though it seemed impossible) which was puzzlingly on his face as well. His eyes looked warm even if lines of stress seemed common on his face. He stood proud, like the other human that had come with him.

Well, he certainly felt like one.

Don't ask how she knew.

"Ah! I thought I heard fighting," He said as he approached them, "I am surprised to see that you've recovered," That was directed at her.

She had to swallow her pride, Ashalle would scold her silly if she displayed her usual behavior here, "Ma Serennas, Grey Warden. I am grateful that you've saved my life,"

"It was my duty to do so, you need not thank me for it." She would've preferred it if she had said that before.

But there was another pressing matter, "Have you found any signs of Tamlen?"

She frowned when he shook his head sadly, "I'm afraid the odds of your friend surviving for three days without help are quite low, especially without strong magic like your Keeper used to save you,"

Well...

Serves her right, to trust humans...

Serves her right for agreeing with Tamlen.

_You idiot..._

She pushed her sorrow deep when she heard movement, "We found you alone," The other one spoke, getting up to stand beside Duncan, "Duncan diverted from our original route when he sensed something off here,"

"The Mirror..."

Duncan nodded, "That Mirror was Tevinter in origin, mainly used for communication." That seemed off, but she was focused on other matters.

"Then what about the creatures?"

"The mirror was tainted, the darkspawn are drawn to it."

"Was?"

"I broke it,"

She felt Merril take a breath to speak behind her, but she quickly shushed her, "Good," She could at least find a small amount of satisfaction in that, knowing whatever did that to Tamlen would never hurt anyone again.

"There is also another matter," Duncan spoke again after a brief moment of silence, his eyes shone, "I can sense the blight sickness within you,"

"...What does that mean?"

Duncan looked at the other human beside him, then back at her, "It is something I wish to discuss with your Keeper before deciding upon,"

"Very well," She sighed, "Lead the way," The Grey Warden nodded, beckoning the human with him as they went ahead.

As she made to follow, a hand wrapped around her own, "What about Tamlen?" Merril whispered.

She shrugged as she steeled herself, pulling her hand free, "You heard what the Warden said," She said, and left after them without saying a word.

_Why does it hurt this much?_

_Better to forget, and learn from this._

_Never again._

* * *

She saw their pity.

She saw it in their eyes, heard it in their voices. They knew Tamlen was her only friend, they knew he was the only one she could actually get along with, they knew how she would act. Yet they still continued, she'd grew up with most of the people in this camp, and had impressed even the elders with her abilities. The elders that claimed to know so much about her.

Even Ashalle...

They continued.

She didn't want to be here anymore.

It didn't feel like home.

"Da'len, come,"

He looked up to see the Keeper, the only one who looked at her the way she wanted her to, normally. She got up from the barrel she'd been sitting on and looked at Duncan and the Keeper, Warden Duncan's companion had stayed back, looking as though he was very uncomfortable with all the glares being sent his way currently. She couldn't care less though.

Duncan spoke when she joined them, "I shall cut to the chase," He said, for which she was grateful, "My order is in need of help, and you're in need of a cure. If you join us when we leave and become a Grey Warden, then you shall have it,"

She didn't waste a moment, "I accept your offer," She would never have to see their pitying faces again, and her pride wouldn't let herself just submit herself to death.

Duncan's eyes widened only for a moment before he regained his composure and bowed, "I welcome you into our order, it is rare to have a Dalish among us,"

She nodded, averting her eyes from the Keeper, "Can I have a moment to pack some essentials?"

"We will be waiting for you, after that we leave for Ostagar,"

She only nodded again, turning around and leaving.

She didn't look at anyone.

It was just her and that famous pride left now...


	3. Arrival at Ostagar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The recruits get to know each other in an unfruitful manner.

The journey to Ostagar had been silent.

Dreadfully boring really, but despite his numerous attempts to start one, all he'd gotten was silence. The silence was the worst thing that could happen to him right now, it gave him the time to think about what happened in Highever and thinking about that meant he was not thinking clearly. Which he needed to do right now because he was going to be a Grey Warden and there was a Blight happening.

Duncan kept things brief and deflected every question he had about becoming a Grey Warden until after he'd gone through a 'Joining', you can guess how much information he got out of him regarding that. Frustrating really, but it gave him another thing to think about other than the burning of his home and the slaughter of the inhabitants whom he had known since he was a child.

The elf was another matter. Both a source of curiosity and frustration, the former because of her heritage as a Dalish Elf, he'd only heard stories and whatever books he'd read contained little to no information on them, and he was the sort to be naturally curious. The latter was because of her silence, she only spoke brief words to Duncan, and gave Alaric nothing but silence and glares.

He knew that was normal, the Fall of the Dales had been a brief study point Ald... His tutor had assigned to him. The Dalish would still carry the scars of a lost homeland, but they would not acknowledge that it was their own fault. While he would admit the Chantry records to be biased, it was known fact that the Dales stood by and did nothing while the Second Blight threatened to wipe out Orlais.

Whether one liked to admit it or not, -and he especially didn't like to, because it was  _Orlais-_ Orlais was in the right.

He refrained from saying it out loud of course, while it would certainly succeed in getting some kind of reaction from the elf, it would work as well as just sticking an arrow in somewhere vital.

At least he still had Reaver.

That's why he breathed a sigh of relief upon spotting the great Tower of Ishal, a sign of their arrival to the great fortress. Duncan had given them the history lesson about it, and he'd almost burst out laughing from the irony of it. The Elf's only reaction was the nod of acknowledgment she'd given them, which he would've made a big deal out of if not for Duncan's knowing (and disapproving) gaze.

So he'd kept silent, and followed Duncan as they entered the ruins, one hand on the scruff of Reaver's neck. Just as he was about to lose himself in thought, a cheerful voice interrupted them.

"Duncan!"

A man in glinting golden armor, accompanied by two guards. He had a warm smile on his face as he warmly greeted Duncan. He looked to be in his early twenties, about the same age as Alaric was. Tall and handsome with his blue eyes, golden mane, and thick stubble. He immediately knew this man to be Cailan Theirin, the King of Ferelden and the son of King Maric the Savior.

He made to kneel, but a heavy hand grabbed him by the shoulder to put a stop to that, "No need for formalities, friend!" It was the King, he still bowed his head before meeting his gaze, "You're Bryce's youngest, no?" He had to stop himself from reacting to that one, he just needed to inform the King and Fergus before he put it all behind him.

"Yes, Your Majesty," He said as the King withdrew his hand to accept the handshake he offered. The surviving Cousland had to force the next words out, "Although, I'm afraid father won't be making it,"

The shock was evident on the Kings face, "What?" His head turned to look at the Senior Grey Warden, "What does he mean Duncan?"

Duncan sighed, "Teyrn Cousland and his wife are dead Your Majesty." He explained, "Arl Howe has shown himself to be a traitor, and has put the entire castle to the sword." Alaric looked down, and tried to force the emotions down, "Had we not been able to escape, he would've told you any story he wished,"

The King turned away, shaking his head in disbelief, "I... can scarcely believe it, How could he think he could get away with such treachery!"

All emotions disappeared within the wake of a new urge to laugh he had to hold back at the Kings unintentional joke, he kept his neutral facade up as the King turned back to face him and put a hand on his shoulder, "You have my word, as soon as we deal with the Blight, I shall turn my army North and bring Howe to justice. You have my word," He nodded graciously and the King sighed, "No doubt you want to see your brother, unfortunately, I sent his men to scout in the Wilds," He couldn't help the wave of relief that followed.

Maybe he wouldn't have to be the one to tell Fergus...

_Oren..._

He shook his head free of  _that_ unhelpful thought. Thankfully the King hadn't seen it, his complete attention turning to the Elf, "Another recruit? You are Dalish are you not?" The King's curiosity was a point of surprise to the Elf it seemed, she must not have seen many humans if that was the case. Regardless, the King was met with silence he had to fill, "I've heard your people possess remarkable skill and honor,"

He had to physically bite down to refrain from laughing at the Elf's dumbfounded expression, even the King looked amused, amused enough to excuse her silence, "I will tell you this, you are welcome among us. The Grey Wardens will benefit greatly from having you in their ranks," With that he turned to Duncan, the two entering a conversation and leaving the two recruit out of it.

Alaric looked at the Elf, "Shocked?" His voice was an amused one, probably the reason why he was not met with a glare and instead of a continuation of the dumbfounded look. He couldn't blame her though, anyone would be shocked at ones ability to be anywhere near amused in light of the subject of the conversation moments before.

He really wasn't in the mood for it, but exasperating someone into a conversation might be his only chance to maintain his sanity. And considering his fellow recruit's state of mind, this little window of shock might be his window of opportunity to start one, her apathy was still recovering it seemed.

_Ironic._

"..."

_Okay... that didn't work._

"Silence really doesn't flatter you,"

"..."

_Blunt compliments didn't work either, though crowd..._

"If you continue like this I might just poke you,"

"..."

_Might just have to be more childish then..._

"Stay silent if you like humans."

"-Wha?"

"Got you!" He smirked.

"You... You are a child!"

"A child that got you to speak!"

"Insufferable  _Shemlen_!"

"See, I might have taken offense if I knew what that word meant," The smirk was still on his face, and he could just  _feel_ the anger emanating from the Elf. Maybe not the best start to a relationship, since they would be fighting darkspawn together, but he was more than happy to use her as a way to focus on his duty and forget about Highever and his duty as a Cousland.

_Not that he was thinking about that._

_Bad brain._

The Elfs retort was cut off when Duncan cut in, "Alaric, Kayla," He indicated for them to follow, and the two of them followed with Reaver trailing behind them. It seemed like he'd distracted himself long enough for the King and his men to leave, Duncan started explaining what they were talking about, "King Cailan and his men have won several battles against the darkspawn already," Alaric nodded, having heard as much.

"The King seems confident,"

"That is... true,"

The Elf cut in, "He doesn't take them seriously," It sounded as if she spoke from experience, although considering the circumstances of her recruitment one could safely say that was the truth.

Duncan nodded grimly, "That is also true," He shook his head as he stopped and turned to them, "Despite the victories, the darkspawn horde grows larger with each passing day. By now they surely outnumber us," He sighed, "I know there is an Archdemon behind this, yet I cannot ask the King to act solely on my feelings," He turned back to them.

"Why not? He seems to regard the Grey Wardens highly,"

The elf was right of course, but it was much more fun to tease her about it, "Does he now?"

The elf scowled, "Unlike you,  _shemlen_ I can observe _,_ "

Alaric was about to retort, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him from doing so. "I know you two will have your differences," It was Duncan, "But right now I need you two to focus on the task at hand and leave whatever they may be behind yourselves. If you two are to become Grey Wardens, out there on the field you may find yourselves in a position where the only person that can have your back is  _each other_ , Is that clear?"

He was met with two nods.

Alaric could get along, so long as there wasn't any silence.

Duncan continued, "Then we must proceed with the Joining without delay," Alaric made to speak, but he was cut off again, "I know what you're going to ask, and I can only say the Joining is a ritual we must all go through to become a Grey Warden." He paused and sighed after a moment before answering, "But it can be dangerous. Know that what is done is necessary,"

Given, it was something that cured and granted immunity to the taint.

Duncan's talk with the Elf about it being the cure and his insistence that he cover his mouth while he was fighting Darkspawn in the Tevinter Ruins of the Brecilian Forest, while he refrained from doing so was proof to that.

Their silence urged him to continue, "Feel free to explore the camp as you wish, all I ask is that you refrain from leaving it for the time being. Find the Grey Warden named Alistair and tell him to gather the other two recruits and meet me by the campfire." He stopped and turned to Reaver, "Your mabari can stay with me while I handle some business," A quick glance at Reaver and a bark of acknowledgment made it so.

The elf looked at him, and then at the camp before turning to Duncan, "I'll... Alright,"

"I'll find this Alistair, as soon as I find some better armor," Duncan nodded.

"Kayla, stay close to Alaric." He held back a smirk as the Elf made an indignant face and made to answer, and was promptly interrupted by Duncan, "You might be a Grey Warden recruit, but I worry about the people that would try to tell you otherwise," His voice was deadly serious, but neither of his recruits could hold back their laughter (Alaric) or their startled giggles... (Kayla)

_Maybe this could work..._

* * *

The situation in the camp was as expected, people going about their business and trying to make most of their current situation, prayers, training, tending to the injured or receiving drills. Among the more unusual sights were the mages and their Templar guardians, along with the Tranquil's, and judging by those glares, the Chantry's tales about the origin of darkspawn had been told more than enough times already...

Finding the Quartermaster had been easy, the man had set up shop near the entrance of the camp. He may or may not have had to physically hold the Elf back when the man had mistaken her for one of the servant elves and scolded her on 'wearing such preposterous clothing' but he was able to get some concessions out of him in the form of a discount.

Sometimes being a nobl-  _a_   _Grey Warden_  was not so bad.

Upon the insistence of the Elf, and to build some camaraderie for Duncan's sake, he'd gotten her some clothing and an entirely different set of armor to replace  _whatever_ _it was_ that she was wearing. He'd had to prod the man (not physically) to get something with proper Grey Warden heraldry. He'd bartered their old armor pieces and whatever gold he had on his person and talk the Quartermaster out of paying the rest.

When he was done, they both had moderately good armor fitting for both of their preferences. The Elf was protected and was wearing something befitting her status as a Grey Warden and Alaric had discarded old memories for a practical set of chainmail with a Warden tabard. With his greatsword firmly strapped to his back, he felt oddly good, like he was ready for everything.

Liberating really.

And now he was waiting for the elf, who had bowed into the Quartermaster's tent to change into her new gear. (not without threatening to cut off the poor man's balls if he so much as thought of peeking into the tent) He would've gone exploring since the elf had no chance of being misidentified now, but he stayed. What Duncan said was true, he needed to be able to trust the elf and likewise.

That would be easy if he could just have an actual conversation, and answering her every question about what everything was in the human society was and then hear her biased arguments on how all ' _shemlen'_ were the same did not count. He truly must have been blessed by the Maker with an astounding amount of patience to listen to everything she said without launching himself to a tirade that would land them straight back to square one.

And then there was the matter of her being tainted, he'd paid as much attention as he could to her behavior and appearance. All he could spot was the elf getting paler by the hour, which meant they had to find this Alistair quickly.

" ** _SHIT!_** "

He was driven out of his thoughts by a sound to his right. Looking to see an unfamiliar mabari wrestling suit of armor from the hands of a young man with a remarkable chin while another man with neat hair and beard in Chantry robes was laughing at him.

"Let go you fleabag!"

"Come on Carver!" The brother laughed at him "Teach that dog a lesson,"

"Shut up!" The boy named Carver growled and yelped as suddenly he found himself face first in the dirt. The mabari trotting away triumphantly with his prize toward the Chantry brother and Carver groaned in defeat.

The Chantry brother's laughter faded away into chuckles as he patted the dog on the head and retrieved the slightly chewed pauldron.

Alaric couldn't help his curiosity, going to the fallen Carver and extending his hand as he turned to the Chantry brother, "The Chantry sends brothers to war now?"

The brother maintained his smile as Alaric hefted Carver up to his feet, "Not a brother myself, just a lay brother in penance,"

"For what?"

Carver chuckled beside him, "He beat a man bloody,"

The calm demeanor of the brother was gone in an instant as he growled, "He deserved it _,_ "

"Could've left him for Gwyn,"

"Carver,  _shut up_ ,"

Family secrets it seemed, he wouldn't pry.

"Still didn't answer my question,"

The brother didn't drop his scowl as he spoke, "I asked the Revered Mother for leave when I saw the army passing through Lothering and she granted it,"

"How long was this penance for then, ser..?"

"Devan Hawke, that there is my brother Carver Hawke." He introduced, "And it ends today, I would've not have continued to wear this robe otherwise." It did contrast with his appearance rather horribly.

Alaric nodded, his curiosity sated. "Just as well, I think my companion is finished, good day ser Hawke," The unwilling brother nodded, still looking very cross at his brother as he turned away and walked to the Quartermaster's tent, "You took your time,"

"If you wanted me to be quick, you should not have put me in an armor with so many buckles!"

"You'll thank me for those buckles once they save your life,"

"Continue to dream  _shemlen_ ," He could get used to her talking, got his mind off things.

"Alas, let's find this Alistair,"

"Don't get us lost,"

_At least she attempts._


	4. Strange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kayla ponders about the situation she has found herself in.

_Strange._

Kayla had lost count of how many times she'd said that to herself, but no matter how many times she'd said it, she said it again four more times after it. Because everything she'd seen after leaving her clan could not be described by anything other than strange.

First was Duncan, the man was different than any human she'd encountered. (The number was deceptively low despite what she may say) He was a human respected by the clan, spoke to her as he would any other human and returned that respect, and had actually left her alone to her thoughts, unlike the other Grey Warden recruit who'd asked question after question despite being met with dismissal.

The other recruit, Alaric was another matter entirely. Among the aforementioned ability of not being able to take a hint, he was rather cheerful for someone whose family had been killed recently. She didn't know much of human politics and family bonds, but from Duncan and the Human King Cailan, she'd discerned that his kind of reaction was not normal. By all rights, he should be swearing vengeance left and right but all that he spouted from his mind was questions upon questions.

And another,  _strange_  thing, she was entirely sure she would be subjected to his prior childishness when she conceded to Duncan's terms about 'getting along'. But it seemed like he'd also taken the words to heart, and the roles had been reversed when her curiosity got the better of her and she started asking him questions, she would also begrudgingly accept that he'd handled all of it with more grace.

Also the subject of equipment, he'd spared no expense on both coin and words. How effortlessly he'd coaxed the oaf that would be the Quartermaster would've left her in awe if she hadn't already known how little intelligence the man actually possessed to actually confuse one of the People with a flat-ear that would bend over backward to accomplish his measly tasks. Even this was used against the man to lower his prices and get her some actual armor, she'd rather liked it too, although couldn't bring herself to show her gratitude through words.

Thankfully he'd taken her rather a pathetic attempt at a verbal jab well, and continued to guide her through the camp effortlessly, she was surprised to see that he'd not left on his own now that he'd made sure no one would misidentify her. Surprised enough to not know what to think of it.

And now she found herself saying it again, as she was met with the sight of Warden Alistair after a rather short amount of time since changing into her new armor.

"What is it now? Haven't the Grey Wardens asked more than enough of the circle?"

"I simply came to deliver a message from the Revered Mother Ser Mage, she desires your presence," She was certain that was him, aside from what she heard the growly mage say he wore his loyalties on his sleeve, kind of like how she wore her loyalties on her chest. A tall and muscular human, certainly handsome with his blonde hair and chiseled features. (Considering humans, and the fact that she was looking at him sideways anyhow)

She'd heard of the 'Circles' from Ashalle and how they were there because humans feared mages and demons, children were forced out of their homes and grown men were killed in fear of blood magic if they did not comply.

She would guess that to be the reason for the man's grumpiness, "What Her Reverence desires is of no concern to me." There was no mistaking the air of superiority and haughtiness in the man's voice, "I am busy helping the Grey Wardens,  _by the King's orders_  I might add!"

"Should I have asked her to write a note?" Her fellow chuckled at what she assumed to be the slight tinge of mocking that had found its way into the Warden's voice, and she suddenly got a very bad feeling about the number of jokes that she was going to have endure with these two.

"I will not be harassed in this manner!" The mage snapped.

"Yes, I was harassing you by delivering a message..."

"Your glibness does you no credit,"

Alistair mockingly groaned and exclaimed, "Here I thought we were getting along just well!" Everyone that knew her could have definitely seen her scowling more than one could count whenever she tried to have a conversation with the human, "I was just going to name one of my children after you, the  _grumpy_  one," She could barely refrain from rolling her eyes when her fellow recruit she was probably going to have to trust her life to sometime burst into a fit of giggles like a child.

Of course, the laughing attracted the attention of the two, causing the growly mage to grumble more and storm off while the Grey Warden turned to them and boyishly grinned. At least she could be amused by her infuriating companion suddenly being knocked off balance when the mage shoulder barged him while he was storming off.

When he was able to regain his balance and shoot her a glare for not helping, Alistair waved to get their attention, "You're the new recruits are you not? The Dalish and the human, I'm Alistair,"

The human beside her nodded in greeting, "I am Alaric, and this lady beside me is Kayla," She simply nodded, following the humans' example, "She doesn't talk much, might be because we're humans," She glared at him as Alistair chuckled.

"I just prefer not to mince words with trivial things!"

"Trivial things can be fun!"

"Like cheeses," Alistair butted in.

"Exactly, like cheeses," She groaned in exasperation as the two insufferable idiots grinned at each other like they had accomplished something.

She shook head forcefully to focus and forced herself to change the subject instead of saying something hurtful, "What was with the mage?" To her immense pleasure that did away with the Grey Wardens grin.

He scrunched his face, "Ah,  _that_ was a combination of an illustrious Templar past and Revered Mothers taking advantage of it to rile up some Mages," She'd heard of Templars, Ashalle had told her about some past dealings and how they would attack a clan just to steal their Keepers and the Firsts and imprison them like they did to their own mages.

"You were a Templar?" Alaric asked.

"I trained as one, until Duncan recruited me," She guessed that was a good thing, judging by the hint of fondness in his voice. If one asked her opinion, she would agree with that notion, purely for the sake of the countless Dalish Clans that had to migrate out of entire Kingdoms just because they feared the wrath of the humans' pet Templars, "Speaking of Duncan, we should go back to him. He would be waiting for us."

Kayla nodded as Alistair strode beside them, but Alaric shook his head, "You two go ahead, I will find the other two recruits,"

Alistair nodded, but Kayla narrowed her eyes.

"Ser Jory and Daveth, they should be relatively easy to find,"

"Thank you, Alistair, I shall see you two soon,"

* * *

 

One of the last things she wanted to admit was how she was grateful for Alaric to leave her with Alistair. Because as soon as she reached the campfire and sat on a bench while Alistair was being scolded by Duncan, she found herself unable to focus on anything other than the hushed whispers she could barely hear in the back of her head.

They were silent enough that she couldn't discern what they said but it was loud enough to flare her temper. It was certainly a side effect of the taint it, which she was able to ignore up until this point when it was just a barely audible tune and now couldn't because it was being drowned out by the incessant whispers that she wished nothing more than to silence.

She did nothing, of course, the whispers weren't real. She just wished Alaric would hurry up with the other two recruits and she find something to distract her lest these whispers drive her mad.

Alistair had been accommodating enough, his answers to her questions had been more or less serious than the ones Alaric had giving her, with the added benefit of having actual information other than what they had heard from Duncan.

He had asked questions too, and she could see that they were out of genuine curiosity rather than a relieve of boredom like her fellow recruit's had been, she'd found herself answering them despite herself, once again scratching her head at the strangeness of the humans she had to travel with. While she had seen some of their glares and leers at her, she couldn't help but notice it was  _some_  and not  _most_  it was nothing like the stories Ashalle had told her.

She wasn't sure if she liked that or not...

"You sure took your time," She whipped her head around to see that it was Alistair saying those words, directed at Alaric and two other people. One of them looked  _exactly_ like the former sort of aforementioned people with his dirty look and shifty eyes, while the other one looked none like she had met before. In fact, she could go as far to say that it was boring her to look at him.

"Sorry about that," The human said, "Would've come sooner if I hadn't needed to pull Daveth here out of trouble," She heard the telltale sound of Duncan's sigh as the balding recruit glared at the impishly grinning one she assumed to be Daveth, "It was nothing bad I assure you, Daveth just had trouble with flirting and the lady was-"

"Enough," Yes, she didn't want the details, "We need to begin preparations immediately, and we're pressed for time"

"Yes Duncan, sorry Duncan,"

Duncan accepted the apology with a terse nod and gestured for them to gather around, "Five of you will be heading into the Korcari Wilds to perform two tasks, one is to obtain vials of darkspawn blood, one for each recruit," He paused for any possible questions, when he received none he continued, "For the second you will need to find an abandoned Grey Warden archive within the wilds, there are old treaties there that need to be retrieved." She nodded, it was easy enough, especially since she could put her tracking skills to good use.

"How do we bypass these seals?"

"Alistair should be able to get to them once you find them,"

The balding one coughed to get attention, "And what of these... Treaties?"

"Promises of support from various factions," Duncan explained, "Dating back to the First Blight," He turned to Alistair, "Be mindful of your charges Alistair, I want them back here in one piece,"

Alistair nodded dutifully.

"Any questions?"

"Is the blood related to the joining?"

Duncan sighed again at Alaric's question, "Yes, but that is all I can say," Alaric just nodded, "I will explain more when you all return," With that he turned and left, leaving them with Alistair, who suddenly had four eyes drawn to him.

She'd never seen a human pale before.

Educational...

"Right then... Uh... I guess I'll follow you? Since it is your trial and I'm only there to be your guide, yes!" He had turned to Alaric and said all of that with frightening speed.

Alaric only tilted his head, "Sure... If there are no objections," Daveth just shrugged and Ser Jory shook his head.

She had often been the one to guide them when they were with Tamlen, but with a group this big, she wasn't sure so she just imitated Ser Jory.

"Follow me then, we'll need to be quick,"


	5. Korcari Wilds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alaric loathes his position and takes it out on his people

The Wilds were silent.

A very bad sign, considering the stories he'd heard of the Wilds, how they harbored creatures in uncountable kinds. Which there was a definite lack of, which meant the Darkspawn had either driven them out of their homes, or they were about to stumble onto a gruesome graveyard for those aforementioned uncountable kinds of creatures.

It all made him tense since he had  _somehow_  come to lead this band of misfits and their well being had  _somehow_  become his concern. He would blame his soon-to-be colleague for pushing this on him, but he just couldn't bring himself to voice it after seeing the horror on his face when everyone's expectant gaze turned to him. Taking responsibility was among one of the worst things that could happen to a person, and Alistair wasn't ready for it at all.

He hated this with a passion.

At least the newfound responsibility distracted him from the familiar face amidst them, Ser Jory; the winner of the tourney at Highever some months ago and a gleaming reminder of the thing he would not waste a thought on. Which would be easier if the knight from Redcliffe hadn't overheard his family name from a conversation with Alistair and wasn't currently explaining in detail what it meant to the whole group.

Alistair had not dwelled on it (despite being Ferelden like most in the group) thankfully, and the Elf didn't seem to care, he was sure he would have to keep Daveth's hand out of his pockets now but his attitude had not changed much after the revelation. He would just have to block out Jory's voice and refrain from having any dealings with him, would make it much easier to forget what happened.

So he disregarded and focused on the next more important thing on his mind, which was keeping an ear on the Wilds and an eye on Alistair. The Junior Warden looked as tense as much as Alaric felt, but he was probably much more adept at hiding the true extent of it since he was the only one among them who could actually sense the darkspawn, which would put a lot of strain on a person he imagined.

But he assumed there weren't any nearby, his sword hadn't left its sheath even if a hand laid on it, and his shield remained slung over his shoulder, even if he looked ready to brandish it.

So he turned to the only tracker in their group, the Elf had managed to steer them away from a collection of howls that had managed to be the only series of sound they'd managed to hear in this little expedition. Doing so had probably veered them off course so severely that it could cause problems with finding their way back to the camp, the dark clouds above only signaled a rain and it would cover their tracks lest they hurry.

"Elf," His voice cut through the chatter, "Tell me we're at least close to  _something._ "

The Elf bristled, either because of the order or his insistent refraining from using her name, "Tracks say a group passed through here, far larger than us," She said after she'd gotten over her little spat and crouched down to examine the trampled ground.

He turned back to Alistair, who looked at him upon noticing his gaze, "They are near, but I don't know if they're  _this_  near,"

"I could've said that," The Elf grumbled.

He blinked, "I asked Alistair,"

"How would he know?" She demanded.

"He's a Grey Warden, it's their job,"

"Right!" She huffed, and rounded on Alistair, who immediately shrunk back upon receiving her glare, "Tell me, how were you able to distinguish these from normal  _shemlen_  tracks?"

"I- I didn't..."

"Right! You didn't! Because you're not the tracker!" That last line was aimed at him more than the emancipated Grey Warden, while their fellow recruits watched with a look that shows their hesitance to interfere.

_What brought this on?_

This was neither the time or place though, he'd have to put a stop to it before they alerted a group larger than they could take on, "Quiet, I'll remind you we're still in a forest filled with darkspawn,"

"I'm quiet!" She responded in a manner that was very non-quiet, contradicting her point.

"Then why are you yelling? Do you want to call the whole horde down on us?!" He wished being in a position of leadership wouldn't require him to abandon his sense of humor, he would've liked nothing more than to change the subject by casually deflecting whatever it was that had caused this argument.

"Uuuh, guys?"

"'A horde' would be lucky to stumble onto here!"  _She was missing the point._

"Alaric?"

 _Not now Alistair,_ "That's not the point!"

"Kayla?"

"I'm not so sure about that!"

"Hey!" Alistair barked, which snapped the two out of their little shouting match to turn to look at him. He resignedly gestured at Daveth and Jory, who was busy trying to bandage up a rapidly bleeding soldier, although it seemed as though their efforts would be in vain, "He crawled out of the corner as you two were arguing," Alistair said, his voice tinged with sadness.

Oh... That... "He... Won't make it." Alaric sighed, averting his gaze.

"I know." Alistair said tersely, "They were ambushed by darkspawn, the whole scouting band is gone," He turned to Alaric, "Their shields indicate that they're the King's own men," Alaric tensed at the implication in his voice, before taking a deep breath and composing himself.

"An entire band of seasoned soldiers killed by darkspawn!" Whatever response he might have had was interrupted by Ser Jory's outburst, they had lost the soldier and were rising to their feet. Daveth rolling his eyes at the cowardice of the Knight, Alaric would agree to be it not a hypocritical move to mock another for cowardice even if it was a completely different category entirely.

Alistair butted in, "Calm down Ser Jory, we'll be fine,"

"Are there any near?" The elf asked, her bow already in her hand.

Alistair nodded, pointing at the way the soldier had dragged a trail of blood from, "I can't sense them, but we'll likely stumble upon them if we follow his trail," The admission earned him another glare from the Elf, one he rolled his eyes at.

Alaric sighed again and straightened his posture, "Let us complete our task then," He slung his greatsword over his shoulder and freed the blade from its sheath, "Alistair, once we spot the darkspawn, stay with Kayla and hold them off of her," The elf made to object but Alistair just nodded, cutting her off "Daveth, Jory you're with me."

Orders made Jory shut up at least.

He'd take some pleasure in that.

_Now he just had to see them through_ _..._

_He hated this._

* * *

It was a complete change of scenery as soon as they'd reached the end of the trail. It led to a ruined mess of pillars and broken down walls, probably the exact ruined archive Duncan had asked them to retrieve the treaties from. He would've danced in triumph if his current level-headedness wasn't required to keep all of the people alive.

He hated this.

_So, much._

Instead, he gestured at Alistair and the Elf, as growls sounded in the near distance. At least a dozen darkspawn emerged from the walls, carrying a multitude of weapons ranging from swords, bows and crude axes.

He pushed forward immediately as Alistar moved to block the arrows shot at the Elf, Alaric heard Daveth's yelp as arrows whirred by. He could not turn to check however, the darkspawn were already upon him.

He met the first one's wide attack with his sword, once again noting how the darkspawn used more savagery than actual finesse as he kicked at its abdomen and broke the contact of their weapons, knocking it back for long enough to turn his attention to another one that was moving against him. He smashed the pommel of the greatsword right on where the beast's jaw would be, shattering it and sending the now useless beast sprawling to the ground before swinging around to impale the first one who had just recovered, the monster could only choke out a growl as it died.

That gave him a brief moment's respite, noting how the little group of Archers that had come with their attackers had been silenced as he freed his sword from where it was stuck through. He looked over to see the Elf dropping darkspawn after darkspawn as the thoughtless monsters sought to overwhelm their little group, Alistair guarding her as he dispatched stray darkspawn that had managed to get past them and get to her.

He would continue to observe had another darkspawn appear out of nowhere with a guttural growl, almost taking off his head in the process with its axe. He barely moved away in time, cursing the distraction silently as he gripped his sword from the blade and stuck the tip right up the Hurlock's chin, killing it instantly in the process.

He removed his sword and looked around when there was silence, realizing that they'd successfully got rid of every darkspawn. He noted how Ser Jory looked paler than usual and how Daveth was supporting a chip to his armor, but other than that he noted no injuries.

Now...

"Alistair, do you have the vials?" The Junior Warden nodded and gave him the satchel he was carrying, he nodded his thanks and turned to the others who were looking at him expectantly, "I'll fill these up, you all just rest."

"I'll help," Alistair offered and Alaric nodded, it would be quicker that way.

* * *

 

The vials had been filled and accounted for, safely tucked away in the Elf's care as she would be the least likely of the five to get herself into trouble that may compromise them.

It had paid off too, considering the trouble that they'd later found themselves in.

Trouble as in a Darkspawn Mage.

Apparently called Emissaries as Alistair had so helpfully provided, it had managed to barrier itself into a corner after its friends had died. Leaving them with the obvious choice of either eating a full blast of fireball to the face or just hiding as it freely fired at them. That wasn't even the worst part about it all, however, because it had managed to keep them there for almost half an hour.

"Are you fucking serious Elf?!" He shouted behind the ruined doorway he was hiding behind.

A shrill voice answered a moment later, likely from behind cover. "You try shooting arrows through a flame barrier while some darkspawn mage tries to fry your bow off!"

A balding head popped out of the pillar it was hiding behind. "Uh... Excuse me but the-"

"Shut up Jory!" Two sets of voices shouted as a fireball caused the pillar said Balding Head was hiding behind to crumble.

"You know, this is not really helping!" Alistair shouted over as Jory scrambled over to find himself new cover, Daveth snickering at his predicament all the while.

"And what genius recommendation would you have Alistair?" Alaric shouted over.

"If I could just get close enough maybe-"

He resolved to cut him off, probably unrelated to the fireball that had just managed to miss his feet, "I recommend Daveth to do the distracting!"

Daveth yelped, "Why me?!"

"Because I would get fried!"

"Tempting!"

"Not helping Elf!"

"Oh enough of this!" An unfamiliar voice growled as suddenly a raven-haired woman appeared in the middle of the forest clearing, waving her staff that resulted in a heart-stopping shriek right before a squelching sound was heard. Alaric peeked out of his cover to see that the barrier the Emissary had created had been crushed, along with the said Emissary, who now resembled more of a metal box than anything else.

All eyes turned to the woman who had caused it.

She was certainly... Different. With her amber eyes complementing her exotic beauty, wearing rags that managed to make her mysterious and alluring at the same time with how they complimented her form. Although she seemed off-put by something, her amber orbs traveling between every member of the group with something akin to a mix of disdain and a smug sense of superiority.

"Well, well..." She said as the disdain in her eyes faded and she leaned on her staff in a curious sort of way.

"What have we here..."


End file.
